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Boone-Based “Pop Funk” Band Vanilla Envelope to Play Black Cat Saturday, February 18

By Bailey Faulkner

Seven-piece band Vanilla Envelope will take the stage at Black Cat Burrito this Saturday, February 18 to show off its unique take on funk music. The band, originally formed to complete a project in the music school at ASU, has now become a tight-knit ensemble that grooves with a highlight on its horn section.

The band is filled out by:

Vanilla Envelope/Photo Courtesy Vanilla Envelope Facebook Page

Corbin Lenard: bass, lead vocals

Kyler Rabe: guitar

Bradley Mitchell: baritone sax

Charlie Smith: trumpet

Justin Austenfeld: trombone

Logan Smith: alto sax

Will Whitehurst: drums

While the band kicked off its career with a ska version of Simon and Garfunkel’s “Mrs. Robinson,” the band has now made an effort to dissociate itself from the ska label. Establishing their own sound, Vanilla Envelope released its five-track debut EP The G.O.A.T last year. You can listen to the EP here.

Vanilla Envelope has continued making a name for itself in the High Country and beyond in the past months. In addition to playing favorite local spots like 3rd Place in Boone, the band recently completed a tour of the East Coast, which included performances in New York City, Atlanta and several other cities in the Eastern US.

Vanilla Envelope will take that energy to the stage at Black Cat on Saturday night. The band will be joined by supporting acts Evan Button and the Tribe and Whale Bottom, the latter showing out for its first performance to date.

You can check out Vanilla Envelope’s Facebook page here to stay posted on the band’s upcoming shows and announcements.

While Vanilla Envelope is certainly looking forward to its upcoming show at Black Cat, the band has other reasons to be excited about the near future. The Appalachian Popular Programming Society (APPS) announced yesterday that Vanilla Envelope will compete in this year’s Battle of the Bands competition hosted at Legends on Thursday, February 23.

Vanilla Envelope will compete against other local acts Stellar Architecture, Electric Jelly Funk and The Blue Wild. The annual competition enables growing acts in Boone to reach a wider audience that appreciates the many genres present in the local Boone music scene.

Don’t miss your chance to check out Boone’s own “pop funk” act this Saturday at Black Cat. There will be a $5 cover charge at the door.